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Aquaria

Synopsis

‘Aquaria’ is about the protagonist’s journey to find out who she truly is. She lives in a parallel “fairytale” world. She is a hybrid of human and fish. This hybrid existence is something the director can personally identify with because she’s half Brazilian and half German. The question of belonging and cultural identity has occupied her mind for a long time.

Review

4/5
An experimental fantasy about a woman’s identity.
Written and directed by Julia Obst, ‘Aquaria’ is an experimental fantasy short that follows a woman’s struggle with her identity – she is blend of human and fish. The film is entirely without dialogue and constructed by various metaphorical shots. Julia Obst (Writer/Director) stars as the titled character with a brief appearance by Keana Korn (Lady of the Fountain). ‘Aquaria’ is a stunning poetic work of art, albeit experimental in narrative.

The 4-minute film opens with a melancholic Aquaria, her weep emotions mirror her surroundings – a water fountain and a stone sculpture of a fish. Julia Obst’s portrayal is highly captivating and deeply moving – her emotional pain is easily felt by the audience. A particularly poignant scene is when Aquaria removes her white gloves to touch a deceased fish – a strong catalyst to accepting and embracing her identity. The film ends with goldfish swimming persistently in circles – symbolic to the never-ending fight to discover oneself.

Aquaria Film e1651756621472
Julia Obst and her cast/crew have delivered an insightful film that has an important message. Cinematography by Adele Perrin is especially praiseworthy as is the ambient mystical music throughout – both aid the narrative flawlessly. We recommend watching ‘Aquaria’ more than once as it is layered with clever metaphors. A beautiful made experimental short.

Cast/Crew

Director(s): Julia Obst
Writer(s): Julia Obst
Cast: Julia Obst, Keana Korn
Producer(s): Julia Obst, Leo Kuelbs
Director of Photography: Adele Perrin
Animation (if applicable):

Specifications

Genre: ,
Subjects: , ,
Collections: ,
Country:
Year: 2021
Runtime: 4 min

Recommended

4/5

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Cast/Crew

Director(s): Julia Obst
Writer(s): Julia Obst
Cast: Julia Obst, Keana Korn
Producer(s): Julia Obst, Leo Kuelbs
Director of Photography: Adele Perrin
Animation (if applicable):

Specifcations

Genre: ,
Subjects: , ,
Collections: ,
Country:
Year: 2021
Runtime: 4 min

Recommended

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Aquaria

Synopsis

‘Aquaria’ is about the protagonist’s journey to find out who she truly is. She lives in a parallel “fairytale” world. She is a hybrid of human and fish. This hybrid existence is something the director can personally identify with because she’s half Brazilian and half German. The question of belonging and cultural identity has occupied her mind for a long time.

Review

An experimental fantasy about a woman's identity.

4/5
Written and directed by Julia Obst, ‘Aquaria’ is an experimental fantasy short that follows a woman’s struggle with her identity – she is blend of human and fish. The film is entirely without dialogue and constructed by various metaphorical shots. Julia Obst (Writer/Director) stars as the titled character with a brief appearance by Keana Korn (Lady of the Fountain). ‘Aquaria’ is a stunning poetic work of art, albeit experimental in narrative.

The 4-minute film opens with a melancholic Aquaria, her weep emotions mirror her surroundings – a water fountain and a stone sculpture of a fish. Julia Obst’s portrayal is highly captivating and deeply moving – her emotional pain is easily felt by the audience. A particularly poignant scene is when Aquaria removes her white gloves to touch a deceased fish – a strong catalyst to accepting and embracing her identity. The film ends with goldfish swimming persistently in circles – symbolic to the never-ending fight to discover oneself.

Aquaria Film e1651756621472
Julia Obst and her cast/crew have delivered an insightful film that has an important message. Cinematography by Adele Perrin is especially praiseworthy as is the ambient mystical music throughout – both aid the narrative flawlessly. We recommend watching ‘Aquaria’ more than once as it is layered with clever metaphors. A beautiful made experimental short.

Recommended

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